Undeath Beckons

Chapter 9 – A Gatherin' of Spirits

LOADING…

FETCHING CHARACTER DATA…

CHARACTER SELECTED: KATYAA

ENTERING WORLD…

Da spirits was restless dat day. I could feel it in my bones from da moment I woke up, on da whispers and in every rock beneat my back. Dose crazy crystals were still hummin' away, glowin' like dey got da right. Weird shit in dis crater, mon. Real weird. I stumbled out of da cave with collu'd lights in my eyes, blinkin' and tryin' ta adjust to da bright sunshine of da early mornin'. Spark Nilminer gave me a look up and down, which I ignored. Creepy little goblin been chekin' out ma curves eva since I be arrivin' at Marshall's Refuge.

"Hey dere Nergal," I groaned at a black-bearded dwarf standin' nearby. Nergal turned to face me and tipped his wide-brimmed hat, his dark eyes gleaming.

"Mornin' Katyaa," he replied. "The usual for ya?"

"You betcha," I grunted back, rummaging in my pack for a few pieces of silver. I passed da coins to Nergal an' received a handful of steamin', aromatic slices of roast dinosaur meat, along wit' a flask of moonberry juice an' a boiled rapta' egg. Mm, dat be da good stuff mon! I ate my breakfast while sittin' on a small ridge overlookin' da crater. Day tree out here. Maybe I'd finally find what I'd been sent ta get: a glimpse of da elemental invadas Vol'jin spoke of.

"Go, Katyaa," he'd said. "Deep in da southern lands, you be findin' a high, firey mountain. And on dat mountain, you be seein' da lords of flame, comin' from da elemental planes. Gather whatever you can about dere plans, and bring back some embas from dere portals. I be needin' 'em ta commune wit da spirits of dat place."

I remember givin' him a salute and leavin' Grommash Hold. Vol'jin always be rewardin' me well for my services mon. Plenty of gold in my pockets. Dat was how I got da magical chain mail hung round my pale blue skin, and da enchanted clips in my orange hair. But da weapon at my side… dat one was all me. I studied it a moment as I finished off da last of my dinsour flank, remeberin'.

Dose naga din't know what hit 'em. Up by a secret altar on the coasts of Strangletorn Vale… dat be where I found dis mace. Oh sure, it was hidden in a concealed alcove, and sure I had to fight off a dozen naga, but I got it in de end mon. All glowin' white and silver it be. Just holdin' it made me feel powaful like I neva did before, mon. I took it to da eldas in Tunda Bluff, and dey be tellin' me it was an ancient weapon of da Highbourne. Da Ardent Defenda, dey called it. Sho had saved my skin enough times mon.

My otha weapon was a plain dagga. No frills, no trills. Just kills, mon. Dat be my game dese days: killin' raptas, dinosaurs, tar monstas, and anyting else dat get in my way down dere in da crater. I stood and packed up my gear. Time ta get ta work. Da day wasn't gon last forever. I located Gryfe and tossed 'im a few coppa for takin' care of my mount.

"He was no trouble at all," he squeaked at me in his high goblin voice. "And thanks for the tip!" I nodded at 'im.

"Don menchan it." I hopped astride the turquoise rapta and kicked it forward. We was out ridin' across da tar pits in no time. Da rapta—I'd named 'im Lar'korwi—was cool to da touch, even as he carted me across mile afta mile of rugged jungle tarain. Afta just an hour or so, we was nearin' Fire Plume Ridge, mon. Da hottest spot in da crater, and probably da most obvious invayshan point for flame elementals. I knowed where I be goin' dat day. Top of da peak. I'd seen a cave dere last time I was here, but it'd been too late ta go yesterday. Today I'd go. Today I'd find dem elementals.

I left Lar'korwi at da bottom of da ridge, makin' sure ta keep his whistle close at hand so I could call for 'im if I needed to, and dropt a sentry totem just in case I be needin' ta see what was goin' on down here. Den up I climbed, weavin' true da cliffs, feelin' da heat of da volcano all around me. I soon reached da top, and dere it was: da cave I'd been seekin', mon! I quickly made my way inside.

It was warm like da breath of a dragon, and darker den a starless night. I caught sparkling reflections in da distance. Torchlights? No… guards. A blazin' invada stood watch at a choke point. He was a tall, brilliant green being wit' huge shouldas and a tiny body. A pair of bracers hung at his wrists. I watched him carefully, plannin' my move. Had ta time it right. Da invada turned his back, and I lunged out, strikin' wit da fury of da storm, mon!

My weapons crackled with lightnin', sendin' a shock true da green menace. I true down a totem, feelin' ma strent and agility increase. Den anotha, ta ground out da sichuashun, mon. Good ting too: da invada began castin' a fireball, and let it fly. My totem caught the ball and disappeared from da hit. Meanwhile, I blasted da elemental with a frost shock. A few more swings and he was down for da count. I brushed da singed bits offa my armor.

Now movin' ahead, I saw an opening in da cavern, and went to it. Overhead da sky was visible true a wide openin' in da stones. Ah, so dis was what dey was doin'. Dis was what Vol'jin wanted me ta find. I crouched down by a big rock and be listenin' and watchin'. I could see a big glowin' portal, green like nothin' else in dis land. Dat was where I be needin' da ashes from.

"The foothills of this peak are already ours," one of da invadas—dey all looked simila', with wispy tails and waves of heat—rumbled. He was speakin' in da tongue of da flames, but I knowed dis tongue mon. Da spirits of fire whispered da words ta me.

"Excellent. Baron Charr will be most pleased," anotha replied. Two more was wanderin' in da area, Four in all. Could I take four of dem? I shuffled da items in my pack a bit, tinkin'. Maybe. I'd need ta use… and I'd have ta have… but yeah, I could do it. C'mon spirits, don fail me now!

I leapt ova da rocks and slammed my weapons down on one of dose ugly heads. Da invada screeched as my Defenda emitted ice and froze his body. I true down totems: Strent of da earth, Flametongue, windfury, and a cooling water totem ta make me resistant ta da fires. Sho enuf, fireballs came my way. I dodged one but took a hit from anotha. Hot! Da totem cooled me down. I struck like a storm, callin' out to da spirits ta bring forth my otha weapon: Spirit Wolves!

Two blue beasts appead, barkin' and growlin'. Dey leapt on da elemental I was hittin', and each bite dey took filled me wit da powa of da spirits. I called out a command, and gained de ability ta run fasta den da wind. Wit dis speed, mon, I brought down da first invada in no time, and turned ta da othas. One of 'em went in da portal. Cowad! Da otha two comin' at me, mon, and I be knockin' 'em left an right, frost shockin' and stormstrikin'. My wolves tore dem apart. Da invadas was dead in no time, and da spirits called back dere canines. I quickly cast a healin' wave ova myself. Ah, much betta mon.

Movin' speedy, I scooped up da ashes from da base of da portal. Dey be safely stowed in my bag. Dat should be enough for Vol'jin ta work wit, I figured. Now, anyting else I should be seein' before I go? I studied da portal carefully. Lookin' like a standard deal here, nothin' too special about it beyond da fact dat it led to Deepholme or sometin'. I din't know da planes too well, but I knowed enough to realize I was unlikely to wanna be stuck in dat kinda place.

Alas, da spirits had otha plans, mon.

As I began ta walk away, a big glowin' arm burst from da portal and snagged me round da torso. Dis was a huge arm I be talkin' bout. In seconds I was pulled true da portal, kickin' and screamin'. I cried out as da heat of da place intensified, and gasped as hot air rushed into ma lungs. De elemental plane of fire, or wherever I was, sho din't seem accomadatin' ta mortals like myself. I managed ta toss down a fire resistin' totem, which helped a little as I caught a quick glimpse of my surroundin's.

We was still atop a peak, but da sky overhead was red with flames. Da rock at my feet was black obsidian, forged by volcanoes, and in every direction flowed lava and brimstone. We was near a big alta, ova which floated da portal. Around me hova'd a dozen invadas or more, and da biggest of deese was holdin' me in his fist. He had special bracers and a weird gleam in his black eyes.

"Baron Charr," one of da elementals hissed. "This is the creature I spoke of."

"Ah!" Charr scorched. "She does not pose a threat. I will dispose of this insect. Then the invasion can begin!"

"I don be tinkin' so, mon!" I snapped back. Crack! A bolt of chain lightnin' burst from ma hands, shockin' da elemental and several othas nearby. He dropped me, and I added a splash of frost shock ta da mix, allowin' me a brief moment ta dash for da portal. Dey was hot on my heels! I quickly slammed an earthbindin' totem down, causin' dem ta slow ta a crawl. With dey so delayed, I made it ta da portal an leapt true. My body tingled wit magic enagy.

Ah, nice ta be back in Azeroth. Da heat seemed trival now. I quickly true down a few more totems, knowin' I was in for a fight. Sho enuf, Baron Charr an tree minions erupted from da gateway, shootin' fireballs and genrally makin' a ruckus. Well, dey on my turf now. Dey gon see da powa of da spirits, mon! I fired off anuda chain lightnin' and changed da charge on ma weapon, makin' it icy cold. Dey be feelin' da frostbite now! I was a whirlwind, strikin' like da storm's fury an cuttin' down da elementals wit no mercy.

Ma good luck din't last long. Baron Charr unleashed a wall of fire, sendin' me tumblin' back. I was on ma feet right quick but he was dere with his giant fist, pummelin' me into da wall. I cast a wave of healin' on myself, restorin' a bit of my strent, but it was lookin' grimmer by da second. I'd hafta run. Dis invada was too strong fo me. I tried to wriggle free. Oh no. I was pinned down! I couldn't find a way out!

"Haha!" Baron Charr cackled. "No escape! Our flames will consume you, mortal!"

Tings was lookin' bad. Real bad. A course, dat was da moment da spirits decided ta play games with me, mon.

Slowly, like leaves tumblin' down from da treetops, I saw two figures descendin'. Between firey punches to da face, I made out what sort of beings dey were: one was light blue, with horns and hooves, like some kinda vertical gazelle, but clearly smarter den dat. She was wearin' robes an' a tabard—da Violet Eye, I be tinkin'. De otha was clearly Forsaken. She had blades at her sides and black leather clothes. Her hair was dark pink, spikey, and her eyes was yellow glowin' spots like bits of da sun. Dey both floated in from above, lookin' a bit terrified an confused. But when dey landed, well, tings got dicey.

Da blue one created a blizzard, quickly destroying da two small elementals. Meanwhile, da Forsaken drove her daggers inta Baron Charr, causin' him ta groan in pain. He let me go and I quickly restored ma life with healin' waves. Den I rejoined da fray, pummelin' da invada with reckless abandon. We was doin' real damage now, mon!

"Enough! You haven't won yet, mortals," Baron Charr finally cried. "This isn't over!" He cast a blast wave outward, causin' us all ta go flyin'. Den he was gone true da portal, an' it closed up behind like a window slammin' shut. I stood on da warm stone, pantin' and bleedin'. My two rescuers were watchin' from nearby, actin' all shy like dey din't want to know who da hell I was or what was goin' on.

"Tanks," I said genuinely. I gave da blue one a small wave. "Who you be?" She studied me curiously. Da Forsaken also looked at me oddly, and din't seem ta understand what I'd said. I saw dem converse wit each otha. Dey be tinkin' if dey wanna talk back or not?

After a moment, da blue one spoke in strained Orcish, "I is… am Spectress. This is Dystressi. Who are you?"

"My name be Katyaa," I answered. "Shaman of da Horde." I gave dem a salute.

Spectress muttered sometin' to Dystressi—translatin', maybe. "Katyaa. Hello." She performed a small bow. "Nice to have met you… to meet you."

"Where da hell you come from, mon?" I asked cavalierly. "I really owe ya one! Dat was Baron Charr, a powerful elemental lord, comin' ta invade dis mountain. Good ting you showed up, or I'd be toast."

Spectress nodded. "Interesting. Where are we?" She turned and translated to Dystressi again, who also nodded and smiled at me.

"Dis be Fire Plume Ridge, in Un'Goro Crater, Kalimdor."

Spectress held up a hand. "Hang on a second." She turned and mumbled some incantation. A tiny, blue eye appea'd above Dystressi's head, and her eyes glowed a little bit brighter. "Okay. We're from Dalaran. Do you know where that is?"

"I be knowin' dat," I answered. "You be pretty far from dere now, mon."

"Don't I know it," she said glumly, eyes downcast.

"We're not exactly welcome there right now," Dystressi added, her Orcish also spotty at best.

"Well, where are ya headed, den?" I asked. Spectress turned to Dystressi. Dey had a quick conversation in dere strange language, while I continued healin' myself and dem with little bursts of nature magic. After a time dey be comin' back ta da conversation.

"We need to get to the Plaguelands near Lorderon, in the Eastern Kingdoms," she informed me.

"Plaguelands?" I questioned. "Dat be quite some distance, mon! You sure you be wantin' ta go all da way out dere?"

They both bobbed their heads eagerly. "We have business to attend to," Spectress told me. "You seem friendly: can you show us the way? We don't know this 'Un'goro' you spoke of."

I tot dis ova. If I be helpin' dese two, where dat be gettin' me, mon? But den again, I owed 'em. Dey saved me from dose elementals. And I din't hafta take 'em all da way to dose far-off lands. Dey could be takin' a zeppelin from Orgrimmar. Dat would work fine. I was goin' dere anyway.

"Okay, I be helpin' ya," I said. "Come with me. We be goin' ta Orgrimmar." Da two of 'em followed closely as I led 'em down da hills. We crossed da distance in no time, and I whistled for ma raptor. Spectress let out a surprised shriek when he be poppin' outta da trees.

"Is that… beast yours?" she stammered. I noticed a strange fear in her eyes.

"Ya, dis be Lar'Korwi," I announced, pattin' his flank. "But since you two don have mounts, I hafta be walkin' him across da crater."

Dystressi was also studying Spectress with a curious look in her eye. She mumbled sometin', and da blue one shook her head. Hm. What was dey talkin' about? Well, anyway, no time ta be tinkin' bout dat: we was on our way back ta da city. It'd be a long journey, mon. Maybe I be learnin' sometin from dese strange bein's on da way. I'd neva seen anyting like Spectress before.

We hiked across da rollin' jungle, fendin' off wild dinosaurs and primal oozes. Spectress and Dystressi din't talk ta me much, but dat wasn't really a problem; I was useta flyin' solo. Jus' me an da spirits, mon. Dey be showin' me all kinda tings out here. On a whim, I decided ta share ma tinkin' with ma companions.

"You know dis crater," I began, "it be a special place, mon."

Dystressi perked up. "Oh?" I noticed den dat Spectress be walkin' on da far side of her, well away from Lar'Korwi. Every time she be lookin' ova, she get dat fear in her eyes. Maybe she be scared of 'im?

"Da spirits has whispered stories ta me," I continued. "Dis crater… da ancients who built our world, dey be usin' it as a special test grounds, mon."

"Is that so?" Dystressi replied.

"And dere be anudda place, mon. Nort a here. Nortrend, I be tinkin' dey say. Anotha valley just like dis one."

"Very fascinating," Spectress commented, glancin' nervous-like at ma rapta.

"Dere be a lot a mysteries in dis world," I added. "A lot a tings only da spirits know."

Dystressi had turned away from me and was lookin' ahead. "Is that the way out of here?" she be askin', pointin'.

Sho enuf, she'd spotted da windin' pat we need ta be takin'. "Ya mon, dat be our way out!" We hiked ova and started up da path. As we walked, I offaed Dystressi an Spectress a bit of dried dinosaur meat, which dey both ate hungrily. Dey tanked me, and we continued upward. I fell in step behind Dystressi, and dats when I be noticin'…

"Dat mark on your neck," I said kinda mysterious-like.

Dystressi froze, causin' me ta almost run inta her. She spun quickly and walked up close ta me. Now I could see her even clearer: smooth, unblemished gray skin, with bones showin' at her shouldas and elbows. A couple a earrings hangin' from her lobes. And where eyes shoulda been, only yellow spots, empty holes behind.

"You know this symbol?" she asked eagerly. "Where? How? Who?"

"Whoa! Take it easy, mon," I answered, puttin' up ma hands. "I just be rememberin' seein' it before."

She din't back down. "Where? When?"

"Um," I be tinkin' aloud, "I don rememba. I just know it be familiar." Looking discouraged, Dystressi returned to marchin', mumblin' sometin' ta Spectress.

Dis was turnin' into quite some journey, mon. So she din't seem ta know what da symbol was either. Interestin'. And sometin' else was on ma mind: dey said dey wasn't welcome in Dalaran. Why? Especially if da blue one be workin' for da Kirin Tor… was dey in trouble? Quite possible. Dey be floatin' down outta da sky in a panic, like dey runnin' from someone. Fugitives, den. On da lamb. Very interestin'.

Afta an hour or so of switchbacks, we be comin' up on two obelisks. Just da markers I be lookin' for. "We're outta Un'Goro," I announced.

Spectress let out an excited cheer, and Dystressi smiled. "Fantastic! So this is Orgrimmar?" She gestured at da hill we was climbin'. Heh. She couldn't see ova da top of it, but if she had, she wouldn't be askin' dat mon.

I chuckled. "Sorry, no." We crested da hill. Before us stretched mile afta mile of endless, rollin' dunes, all hot and sandy like dey be havin' a grudge against water. To da south was some big cacti, and dat was where I was gon take dem ta fill our canteens. But our destination be to da nort.

"Oh great," Dystressi moaned when she be seein' what lie ahead.

"Where are we?" Spectress asked uneasily.

I smiled as I stared out ova da sands wit my two strange companions at ma side. "Dis be da Tanaris desert, mon. And we gonna become its close friends by da time we be reachin' our next goal: Gadgetzan."